Within the Box
by kidninja543
Summary: In a world where soulmates are connected through the black box on their bodies, Jay's happy with what he has with his soulmate, a nice bond and the perfect level of comfort. And when the time comes to meet them, he's more than shocked.


**A/N: ...I had to. XD I had the idea and I had to. To be honest, I've always wanted to do a soulmate AU. Guess now's my chance, huh? Anyways, I've been kinda dying on this website, but I'm hoping to come back stronger, so this is my attempt! This is of course Cole x Jay because they are so cutteeeee! Anyways, don't like, don't read, but do enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago in any way, shape or form …apart from the millions of legos that I have on my shelves (; …**

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Jay hummed in content, smiling lightly into the sky. He could feel peaceful, and he knew it wasn't just because of the beautiful sky, painting precarious pinkish purple and blue, the oh so slight wind swirling around him, or the laughter of kids on the playground nearby.

Well, okay, maybe that was a bit to be blamed. He couldn't give all the credit to his soulmate.

Ah, yes. His soulmate. What a weird word.

You see, Jay was born into a curious world. He knew it was curious because he also knew that there were other worlds that didn't have what they had. Jay may have been dabbling in the idea of alternate universes, but that's not the point-

The point is that when a person is born, they have a square with semi-thick black borders printed on their skin. You can't wash it off, and it was like bacteria- when a few people managed to get it off, the boxes somehow found a way to get around those techniques and stay on. No one could keep it off. Most of the time, one finds it on their forearm. Some people have it somewhere else on their skin. Jay had it on his left forearm. In that box, was something magical. Well there was a tiny bit of science involved, but Jay liked to think of it as some other world magic, and the scientists didn't dissuade the idea of such, so meh. But still. Whenever you wrote or drew or did anything within the box, the same would appear in his soulmate's box. Many wrote back and forth, some not at all. When one found their soulmate, their box would light up in the other's signature color, the color that their soulmate loved, and the color that defined them. Some people never found their soulmate, while some searched far and wide for them. Some people's box edges were white- signs of their soulmate's death. A few were red. Red wasn't good.

But Jay was content with what he and his soulmate had. They had a standard black border and they talked a lot. Well, Jay did. He was an extrovert after all. He easily connected with people. His soulmate was a bit different. They still talked about so many different things, having a lot of opposing opinions, but it never felt wrong somehow. Jay would usually fight fiendishly for what he thought was right, but for some reason his soulmate took out all the defensive feeling from him, and he never felt bad about defending his title so viciously. It was kind of nice.

Jay felt a small buzz in the back of his head, and he welcomed the connection open heartedly.

There was another discovery decades upon decades ago. A couple with telepathic connection. They were so in tuned with one another, they could literally hear one another's thoughts when allowed. Since then, only two other couples were noted to have that connection.

Jay had a small form of that connection. His partner loved to sing and hum, and when they got really passionate about it, he could feel a small prodding in his mind. The first time, he tentatively allowed it, and was immediately soothed by the calming hum that his partner gave. The melody was so nice, and it felt right. He hasn't told his partner yet, mostly because he didn't want to lose this connection if they thought it was weird. No matter. He would in time.

But…there was something different about this. It felt...stronger perhaps? He wasn't all too sure. But he was sure about the feeling on his skin. Cracking an eye open against the gently fading sunlight, Jay moved his head downward, lifting his arm from his side slightly upwards to look at it. He smiled gently at the sight of ink forming letters on his skin as his soulmate wrote in the box with beautiful handwriting. Compared to his, his soulmate might as well win an award.

**Whatcha doin'?**

Jay grinned and sat up, pressing his back up against the old oak tree that grew in this park since he was a kid. Tugging the blanket underneath him over his socks, he reached over to his drawstring backpack to pull out the pen he always kept with him just in case. The hum in his mind never ceased. His soulmate must be really happy. Usually Jay was the first one to reply. Whenever his partner was relaxed or happy, he wrote first. Jay knew when he wasn't. Those days, it felt like a never ending storm dripped endlessly in his mind. Those days, he filled his box with jokes and puns, trying anything to make his partner feel better. Sometimes he would give song suggestions based on what emotions he felt his partner give, other times he would give stories of his childhood to take his soulmates mind off his sadness.

Likewise, the person helped Jay. The teenager didn't know if his partner could feel the connection like he could, but he always seemed to know when to talk to Jay. That was also another way to get his partner to answer him. Whenever Jay's depression was just too real, or when the panic attacks seemed to form walls in on him that pressed ever closer, he could count on the familiar feeling on his arms that meant his soulmate was talking to him. Perhaps he could indeed feel Jay's emotions as well. His partner always seemed to be there when he needed him most.

His partner. Jay never got a name. Not even when they were younger. Whenever he would ask about it, his partner changed the topic, or didn't answer until Jay changed the topic to literally anything else. One time though, his soulmate let loose about why- he felt as though he couldn't compare. When Jay pressed on about the reason, his soulmate shut off from him for a week. After that, everything went back to the way it was before the slip of truth. Jay never questioned it again.

Though, forget the past. Right now, his soulmate was writing to him!

Raising him marker, Jay eagerly wrote back.

_Just enjoying the sun! How about you? How's your trip going?_

Ah right. His soulmate said that he was moving. He didn't mention where, but it sounded familiar, the landscape and all. Maybe a place akin to his home.

**I actually made it already. Thanks for talking to me during the flight. What a nightmare. I'm in a park right now.**

Jay smiled, closing his eyes. So was he. It was so peaceful. Until, well, it wasn't.

Yelping, Jay glanced down at his arm. The box surrounding the letters was burning a bright dirt drown. It didn't hurt, necessarily, but an irritating scratching feeling kept filling him from head to toe. Some part of him told Jay to stand, and he did, feet stumbling over one another as some sort of force drove him forward in a zombie like walk. He's heard of this. Seen it once and awhile, too. He was near his soulmate. Couples and singles watched as he stumbled past, getting out of his way as they very well knew that the fates didn't care who got in the way, as long as the soulmates met.

When soulmates were near each other, fate pulled them together. There was literally no science behind it. The distance of when the dates decided to pull the two together varied between people, and fate decided it all. Jay must be near his soulmate! His soulmate was so close to him! He was-

A sudden thump knocked Jay out of his thoughts. And to his knees.

The lingering itching feeling surrounding the bright box faded, as did the light, and Jay let his eyes trail upwards. Sitting across from him was a hella hot boy with mocha colored skin, jet black hair and sparkling brown eyes. He wore a tank top, black with grey lining, and jeans over his legs, worn out sneakers with red laces and blue streaks on the side sticking out, on his neck he wore a necklace, and Jay's sharp eyes caught the sparkle of a small unicorn necklace. The whole sight made him blush as he kept staring at the figure who was composing himself.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

The other teen froze as his eyes landed on Jay, tracing him with those dark chocolate eyes, a faint fighting blush peppering his cheeks. Jay lifted his jacket's sleeve to cover his blush and freckles. He hadn't expected to meet his soulmate today. He wasn't ready.

Biting his lip, Jay met the boy's gaze, a glimmer of fear in his eyes. The other's chocolate browns softened lightly.

"Hey...Jay, right? It's okay. I didn't expect to meet you either. You okay?"

Slowly lowering his hand, Jay nodded. He didn't know what it was, but something about the male before him made him feel...safe. He shakily got to his feet, nodding all the time. His partner smiled gently, waiting. "C'mon, Jay, I know you're really talkative. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Oh so many things. Taking a deep breath- he didn't even care that he exaggerated it, his partner already knew his calming techniques just as well as he did. He locked eyes with those beautiful chocolate browns, immediately calmed. "So much. Like, can I now know your name? Who are you? How are you here? Why are you so hot?"

His soulmate chuckled, a sound that sent Jay into a blushing mess. When he imagined his soulmate, it wasn't _this. _This was sooo much better!

"I guess since we've met...yeah. I'm Cole. Your soulmate. I moved here. And I think you need to answer the last question on your own." He accented the last sentence with a wink, sending Jay's heart into a too fast train, ready to derail at any moment. Slowly, his anxiety melted away and he took a step closer to the ever drawing chocolate eyes, smiling a genuine smile. His soulmate - no, _Cole _\- returned the smile, reaching out a tentative hand towards Jay, who gladly took hold it. Jay blushed, biting his lip before he spoke. "So...wanna get something to drink? Talk about...this?"

Cole smiled, his eyes shining brightly, his grin absolutely maddening. "Absolutely. But…"

Jay frowned, worried that he'd already messed up. "But..?"

"You'll have to show me the places around here. I'm new, remember?"

Jay giggled lightly, earning a small chuckle from Cole as well. "Deal."

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**A/N: Wow, okay! I actually didn't plan any of that out, and I just wrote whatever came to mind? Uhm, okay? Tell me what you guys think of it? My boys need some time to themselves ;) I didn't really expect much out of this, it was just a short to get me out of writers block a bit and to get something out there 'n stuff. If you huys want more I might be able to do like a second part or continuation or something? I dunno, I kinda want to continue it but meh. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, the chapter of Savior in the Dark (if you're following it) should be out sometime next month! Have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night and keep stealthin' on my ninjas! XD**


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